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The Calgary Flames dropped a close game against the New York Rangers in OT last night on the road. Currently on game three of a five game road trip, the Flames have been doing quite well, all things considered.
Acknowledged to be a team who is rebuilding and not thought to put up much in terms of competition, the Flames have found ways to battle each night despite being a weaker team on paper. Their hard work ethic and ability to cycle the puck down low has proven to be a recipe for success for this team, even though a few too many points are coming as a result of overtime periods.
That said, eight of the last ten games played by the Flames have been one goal games where the team managed five wins and one OT loss. With that in mind, it would stand to reason that with some apparent ice improvements of late, that the team’s statistics may also be improving...though the Flames had a pretty bad month where their stats really suffered.
While the above is true for many teams, Calgary has been quite impressive in terms of just how close they’ve kept games since late November, and a lot has to do with strong goaltending. Thought to be a weak team in terms of their potential netminders, Calgary is currently ranked 2nd in the league in terms of G/A since November 30th, allowing only 10 goals in 7 games played, behind LA who has only allowed 9 in as many games.
Both Karri Ramo and Reto Berra have put up very respectable numbers in their last stretch of games, where Ramo sits with a .948 SV% and 1.4 GAA in his last five games. Both tenders are certainly starting to get a little more comfortable and have provided their teams with the opportunity to win a few extra games.
As mentioned in earlier blogs prior to the season starting, I stated that if this team is going to find any success this year it will be through strong defensive systems and recognizing their strengths. Calgary simply cannot go head to head in terms of offense with most Western Conference teams, and as such, they need to play a simple crash and bang type game where they enforce a tough cycle game.
Currently ranked a few spots below average in terms of goals scored per game(18th), the Flames have been relying on their defensive stats to help win games as they sit 2nd in the league in blocked shots and 14th in the league on their PK. And while their GAA for the year is not impressive, their most recent numbers have been.
If the Flames are able to continue their current pace and keep games within a goal, not only could they expect to see a couple extra wins, but their league worst GAA will without a doubt start climbing and so will the confidence of their netminders. Remember, this year isn’t all about finding ways to win games; it’s by and large finding ways to be successful while developing your future pieces.
I don't know about you, but this is basically what I was hoping to see this year from a rebuilding team like the Flames; hard working, close battles, and player development...though a few players could stand to have some extra attention, but I digress.
Moving into last night’s game, the Flames put up a good fight against the New York Rangers. In a game needing 7 shootout rounds, the visiting team would get off to a good start registering 11 shots on net and two goals scored.
One player who needs to find a stronger developmental path is centerman Mikael Backlund and he just so happened to open the scoring for the Flames at the midpoint mark of the game on Calgary’s first powerplay chance. Not long after would Curtis Glencross, another player who Calgary has needed more offense from, tap in his 6th goal of the game from a perfect cross crease pass by Hudler to give the Flames a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, the lead would not last long as Rangers’ Derek Stepan would find the back of the net and cut the lead to 2-1.
Carl Hagelin would register the only goal for the 2nd period with a nice wrap around play beating Karri Ramo who was only a few inches from making the stop. The Flames were outshot by a staggering 12-3 in the 2nd despite only allowing one goal and would move into the third period tied at 2 goals apiece.
Not willing to give up another lead, it would be the Flames’ rookie Sean Monahan who kept the puck in play deep in the corner and rushed to the net to receive a nice pass from Glencross which he would chip just over the shoulder of Henrik Lundqvist.
Monahan has now registered 10 goals for the year which ties him with Mike Cammalleri for 1st in goals on the team. Furthermore, Monahan is currently the 2nd NHL rookie to hit 10 goals this year, behind Tomas Hertl of the San Jose Sharks who sits with 15.
In addition to Monahan’s success, Jiri Hudler continues to improve with another two point night and now sits with 30pts in 33 games, almost doubling Kris Russell in total points for the year – He’s a mach-ine!
Despite Monahan’s attempt to take the win, New York would also find the back of the net pushing the game to OT. With a powerplay opportunity, and a chance to seal the win in the extra frame, Calgary unfortunately could not get it done in time and the game would need a shootout to decide a winner.
"Thought we'd get it done in overtime, but we couldn't execute on the power play," Flames captain Mark Giordano said. "We're not happy with the point. It should have been two."If you get a power play in overtime, you should win."
With seven rounds needed, the Rangers would walk away with two points and the Flames one. While it was a close game, the team felt as though that was one which they should have finished and continue to show that competitive edge needed to be successful.
Calgary will take on the Boston Bruins tomorrow night on the road. It will be their second time in just over a week against the Bruins who they lost 2-1 against most recently.
Thanks for reading!